A fallen star
by secretlittlewritercerise
Summary: Blaine Anderson is a man who likes pleasing others in order to be loved by them, and thus he accepts a marriage with a person he doesn't truly love. One night, he finds a strange creature at the seashore: a young merman who will change everything he has ever believed in.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

**A fallen star**

He had been walking for hours, tracing the shoreline with every step, trying to count the endless stars that glimmered above him. Escaping. That's what he was doing. He was escaping from a life that wasn't his. A life that had been imposed on him by those who were supposed to love him.

They had finally chosen a date, and now it was a matter of counting the days as they passed much too fast, since in four months Blaine Anderson would become a married man.

It was to be expected. His father desired an heir, and his dimwitted yet kindhearted brother refused to touch the family business. Thus, all hopes and obligations fell upon little Blaine's shoulders. And he accepted the burden.

There are people in this world that wish for nothing but love, and sometimes such people are willing to sacrifice their happiness in exchange for a kind word and a loving smile. Blaine Anderson was such a man.

He sat on a fallen trunk next to the shore and looked at the dark sea, wondering if other lost souls were watching the same stars, questioning their meaningless lives, finding their future as insufferable as he found his.

As soon as his mother had called him to inform him when the location of the ceremony would be available, Blaine had known that he would be deprived of any chance of happiness forever. It wasn't that his fiancée was an evil woman. _Au contraire_. But he wasn't in love, and she knew it. It was a marriage of convenience for both of them. And to be deprived of love…

He could see the outline of the rest of his days clearly: a steady job, his wife throwing social gatherings every weekend, maybe two kids: a boy and a girl… And he would love _them_. He was certain that he'd _adore_ those children. But he would most definitely not be happy.

Blaine had fled towards the beach house as soon as the call had ended. He'd told Quinn, and she'd understood. She, too, was nothing but another casualty of society and duty. They'd been friends from the start, when the two of them had met as sweet little children, lost in an endless web of masks and pretense. And now they would be married.

He rubbed his eyes and sighed as he watched the tumultuous sea. The moon was high up above, and the waves danced violently, as if the sea had a secret desire of reaching that distant orb. Or were they maybe saying 'hello' to each other, like old pals?

A falling star crossed the speckled sky, and Blaine smiled, remembering the tales he'd adored as a child. Innocent narrations in which common people, princes and princesses looked up to the sky, made a wish and it was granted. Stories that ended with the sweet and promising '_and they lived happily ever after_'.

And at twenty-five years of age, Blaine Anderson parted his lips, sighed with endless desolation, and whispered a simple: "I wish I could love, just once".

He looked around, almost hoping that something would happen, just like in his fairytales. But nothing did. Blaine chuckled and glanced towards the eternal sea, wishing that somewhere out there that fallen star would grant someone a wish, and that such a wish came from a longing that could give that lucky person endless happiness.

And although he couldn't know at that instant, it did.


	2. Silver scales

Author's note:

Thank you to the followers and reviewers of this story. This is my very first shot at fanfiction, so please be patient with me if it seems clumsy and imperfect.

Thank you very much. I hope you enjoy it. :)

* * *

**Chapter 1**

**Silver scales**

'Coincidence' is the name we give to magic in our world. Sometimes two unrelated set of events meet right in the middle of their development, and thus something extraordinary happens. Normally, humans can't deal with the bizarre, so they blame it on things like 'coincidence', 'chance' or 'luck'. And whether it _is_ simply 'coincidence' what brought the two protagonists of this tale together or not, the curious thing is that for both of them it was just like magic.

As Blaine strolled back towards the beach house, caught in his turbulent thoughts, he heard the sound of a ragged breathing coming from the wooden breakwater. He swiftly approached the tattered old trunks, but the water was much too violent, and it pushed him back a few times as he tried to walk closer.

The breathing had turned into whimpers, and Blaine feared it would belong to a gravely hurt creature. The waves were too potent, and if he didn't make it on time the condition of that unfortunate living thing could be even worse.

Another wave hit Blaine in the chest, sending him back. The man tripped and felt the scrape of a rock against his shoulder as he was smashed by the water. He couldn't hear anything but the rush of the sea, shoving and shaking him.

And then, as he reached the surface, he saw it: a pale hand grasping one of the trunks as the water shook the body it belonged to.

Without considering the dangers his actions entailed, Blaine submerged in the water and swam towards the breakwater, feeling the relentless pull of the waves above him as they tried to push him back. He extended one of his hands in front of him and swam clumsily; trying not to waste the air he still kept on his lungs, knowing that as soon as he resurfaced he'd be shoved back towards the shore.

The water was warmer than he'd expected, and his impractical brain made him remember one of his teachers stating that the water of the sea should be warm at night, since water took longer to heat up than land. And Blaine felt a little relieved by the thought that the creature –no, the _human_- that was so badly wounded, would be at least spared from the chill of the night as long as he was in the water.

He stretched his arm a little more and finally felt the wood of the trunks against his fingers. Blaine grasped the post and pushed his head out of the water, gasping desperately for air. Yet, as soon as he did, a wave knocked one side of his head, and he was momentarily stunned.

When the haze faded, Blaine realized he'd been rendered deaf by the blow, and hoped wholeheartedly that it would be nothing but a provisional impediment. He looked around, and hid his body behind the mass of the trunk he'd been holding, hugging it tighter in case another wave hit. As he did, he was able to see the other person: a young man with pale skin, who was hugging another post tightly. He looked weak, on the verge of fainting. His eyes were shut, and the only signs of life came from his uneven breathing.

There were two posts between the man and Blaine, and as another wave hit the breakwater and the man's hands slipped from the wood, he realized he didn't have much time left.

Blaine rounded the trunk he was holding without letting go, and as soon as he was facing the other side he turned around swiftly and swam towards the next post, holding it tightly as another wave shook him. He repeated the process again, until he could see the man right next to him, with his eyes closed and whimpering in pain, not even noticing his presence. The man's hands were slipping, and he looked even paler than minutes before.

A wave knocked the trunks again, and it submerged both of them in the water for a moment. When the water descended enough for Blaine to lift his head and breathe, he saw blood covering the side of the man's head and part of the post. His lips were parted, and he was letting go.

Blaine launched his body rapidly towards the trunk and took hold of the man's hands before he could slip away, holding him and the post tightly.

"Hey! It's okay!" Blaine said, as he shook the man in his arms. "Come on! It's okay!"

The man opened his eyes, confused, and saw him for the first time. His blue eyes were clouded, and he blinked slowly, as if he was about to fade into a slumber.

"It's okay! I'm going to get us out of here, okay? Everything's gonna be fine!" Blaine insisted, yet the man only watched him for a second, disoriented, before collapsing entirely in his arms.

Blaine cursed under his breath and held the man's body to his chest. He was slim and light; and Blaine thanked his luck, for it seemed as if he'd have to carry them back without any help whatsoever.

He decided to use the same method he'd employed to get closer to the man: holding on to the posts and circle them, grabbing on to one at a time. This time he'd have the push of the tide on his side, yet, since he had to carry someone with him…

Blaine took the man's arms and pressed them around his shoulders, making sure to place his chin above his back in order to keep him from drowning. He began moving, and though the body of the unconscious man seemed about to slip from his grasp a couple of times, he managed to get close to the shoreline safely, and he used the push of one of the waves to finally reach the beach.

As soon as he was able to pull free from the water he placed the body of the man next to his and finally noticed the soreness of his muscles. But he had no time to dwell on the ache. He turned and pulled the man far from the shore, where the water could still reach them and drag them in.

They were far from the sea now, when Blaine finally had the chance to look at the man he'd saved, when he noticed: it was not a man at all. He stumbled back and fell on the ground, astonished and speechless. Should he call for help, or should he flee? For lying there across the sand was not a young man, but a _merman_.

Of all the things Blaine could have expected to find in the water: a woman, a child, even an animal… a mythological creature such as the one he was seeing was as far from his mind as it could be.

From head to waist he was a man, a beautiful man with smooth and fair skin, and short and straight auburn hair… but from the waistline downwards a silver long tail, like that of a fish, had supplanted the place where you could normally find a pair of legs.

_A mermaid_, Blaine thought. _I've rescued a mermaid. What am I going to do now? There's no way I can call a doctor, or a lifeguard, now. God, this is just my luck!_

The creature was covered in blood, and long scratches and purple blotches were marking his skin. Blaine felt pity, and he knew it would be an act of revolting cruelty to abandon it there.

But then, something changed. The young man began trembling in his sleep. Swiftly, Blaine crawled further away from the scene, and he saw in awe as one by one the scales from the merman's tail fell, dissolving into the sand. The merman shook and grunted, and the skin underneath its' tail separated and slowly changed color, until a pair of long pale legs took its' place.

The man was trembling and struggling for breath, but he was so weak that he didn't regained consciousness, but kept on shaking in his faint-induced sleep. All thoughts of abandoning the strange creature had deserted Blaine as soon as he saw him so helpless, and since he was now facing nothing but a man, much like himself, he decided he would have to face whatever consequences his actions brought on him after he'd helped the poor creature.

He approached him carefully then, and as he watched him he made a choice. He scooped him in his arms and walked him back to the beach house, praying that none of his neighbors would have the impulse of looking through the windows as he strolled down the sand with an unclothed stranger in his arms.


	3. Warmth

Again: thank you so much for reading! :)

* * *

**Chapter 2**

**Warmth**

Blaine went on until he reached a long row of white, two-story, wooden houses, each of them looking exactly like the next one, and gleaming under the pale light of the moon. Not a soul was awake at that ungodly hour, yet he rushed to the porch and made a swift entrance to his building, just in case.

The trip upstairs was clumsy, and more than once Blaine feared he'd trip and drop the merman down the staircase. Still, he managed to reach the top floor and take the creature to the guest room. He placed him gently on the bed and ran towards the restroom to fetch a towel and a first aid kit.

He caught a glance of his reflection in the looking glass and realized his shirt was stained with blood, and part of it must have been his, since the fabric was ragged on his right shoulder where the rock had prodded his skin, leaving a long cut that could be seen through the torn material.

_I'll take care of that later_.

He jogged back towards the guest room and found the stranger sleeping soundly in the same spot he had left him. Blaine placed the kit on the bedside table and watched his guest, wondering if it would be proper to touch him, or if he would alarm him and make him violent. After all, humans didn't enjoy being touched by complete strangers, and the figure resting on the bed was definitely _not_ human.

Blaine placed a hand just above the merman's shoulder and hesitated for a moment before touching him softly. He moved under his caress, but didn't wake, and Blaine could feel on his fingers the warmth of his body. _If he stays like this he'll soon be running a fever_.

Taking the towel in his hands, he proceeded to soak up as much water as he could by gently pressing the fabric against the merman's body. It was not enough, but it would help. Then, Blaine covered the sleeping shape with a thick blanket, yet his eyes stopped on his shoulders and chest, where the skin was swollen and marked by numerous incisions.

Blaine bit his lip and took the first aid kit from the table, pulling alcohol, cicatrizer, gauze, and copious amounts of cotton. He soaked one of the cotton balls with alcohol and looked at the stranger. _Foolish Blaine! If you touch his wounds with alcohol he'll wake up in pain! And who knows what will become of you with an enraged mermaid in your house!_ He shook his head at the improbability of the situation.

He looked around and his eyes fell upon a brand new bottle of water. He took it, and pulled a handkerchief from the kit. _At least with these I can clean the wounds until he wakes up_.

But as soon as the damp cloth touched the merman's skin, his eyes opened and he rouse violently to a sitting position, making Blaine jolt from the bed in surprise. The creature stared at Blaine, gasping, and moved as far away from him as possible, pushing his feet against the blanket and the mattress, until his back hit the wall and he was scrunched there, silent and trembling.

They looked at each other, both of their hearts thumping wildly in the quiet room. The merman was trying to move towards the other side of the bed, yet a hasty movement awoke the pain of his wounds and he cringed with a gasp.

"Careful!", Blaine said, and took a step forward. Instantly, the creature flinched, and another wave of pain shook him. "No, no, don't!"

The stranger looked up at Blaine with eyes full of curiosity and fear, and the latter tried to manage a smile as he took a sit by the end of the bed.

"It's alright! It's going to be fine!" Blaine continued. "I was trying to clean your wounds, see?". He held up the cloth and the water, and pointed at his injuries. The merman frowned, his eyes wide and full of apprehension. Blaine sighed, dejected. "Can you…Can you understand me?"

The stranger seemed to waver for an instant, but ultimately he nodded. Blaine smiled happily.

"Oh! I thought…! Well…". He blushed and lowered his head shyly. "For a moment there I thought you didn't. I thought your kind would have a special fish-like language or something like that!". He looked up, expecting to see his guest smile, but was instead greeted with unbridled dread. The stranger's blue eyes were shining, and his lips had parted as his body quivered.

_Oh! He doesn't know I…!_

"I… I know what you -" Blaine said, and pointed at his legs. The merman looked down at his own body and hugged his human legs with a gloomy frown. They stayed silent for a long moment, as Blaine wondered what to say. It seemed like the creature wouldn't or couldn't speak, so it was up to him to make small talk.

"I never thought I'd be rescuing a mermaid", Blaine muttered finally in an attempt to lighten the mood.

The stranger looked up at him and blinked. The smallest of smiles graced his features, and he shook his head timidly.

"What? Am I wrong? Isn't that the name for your…kin or…race? 'Mermaid'?" Blaine said curiously.

The stranger blushed and he pointed at a vague place around the other man's waist. Blaine examined himself, wondering if it was the blood that caught the stranger's eyes. _But what would blood have to do with it? They're not vampires, are they? What else could he be…?_ And then he realized…

"Oh! Right! A man! You're a man" he said, smiling triumphantly, as the stranger looked away in embarrassment. "A man. So…mer_man_?"

The creature looked up, smiled cordially at his host, and nodded. Blaine was delighted and intrigued. He beamed happily and dared to sit a little closer. This time the creature didn't shy away, although his eyes and a nervous swallow betrayed his apprehension.

"So", continued Blaine, "You're a merman! That's amazing! I didn't think mermaids and mer_men_ even existed! Are there more?"

His guest's smile disappeared, and once again he looked away, evidently uncomfortable with the unpleasant turn of the conversation.

"I'm sorry", Blaine said, and moved his head, trying to catch his guest's eyes. "I'm just curious, I promise. I won't try to hurt you, okay?" The merman turned to look at him. "I don't want to harm you. I couldn't leave you there like this" He gestured towards his injuries. "Look, I promise as soon as I tend to your wounds you'll be free to go wherever you please. You won't owe me a thing, alright?"

The creature stared at him, and in his eyes Blaine saw many different emotions flickering rapidly: fear, confusion, doubt, hurt, anticipation, excitement… After a long moment, the stranger blinked, as if forcing himself to wake from a dream, and gave Blaine the shortest of nods.

Elated, Blaine smiled at him and slowly moved towards the center of the bed as the stranger watched him closely. There was still space between the two of them, which he'd deliberately set so his guest would have to move closer in order to be attended. Trust was a two way street, after all. He busied himself taking the contents he'd selected from the first aid kit and placing them on the bed, and soon he felt the dip of the mattress as the merman slowly and carefully crawled closer to where he was.

When Blaine looked up, he found the stranger's glance piercing through him with a mixture of bewilderment and fascination. Blaine gave him a small, wavering smile, and looked down at his implements, blushing, his heart beating wildly in his chest. He damped some cotton with alcohol and looked at one of the largest incisions in the merman's skin, right above his heart. It had stopped bleeding, but the wound looked tender and livid.

He looked up at his guest, who now seemed uneasy and marvelously childlike as he bit his lower lip and stared wide-eyed at the ball of cotton.

"This is going to sting a little, okay?" Blaine said. The merman gulped and after a moment of doubt he bobbed his head, granting him permission to proceed.

As soon as the fiber touched the tender skin, the merman recoiled and hissed. Blaine started, but as he saw his guest's expression -his narrowed eyes and his lips taking on an angry shade of red where he'd bitten hard- he understood the reaction had been involuntary and the product of pain, not vengeance or violence.

"It's okay, it's okay!", Blaine lulled him sympathetically as he resumed tapping the wound. The stranger looked at him, and when Blaine gave him a kind smile he responded with a little timid grin of his own. Blaine took the cicatrizer and a cotton bud and began applying it to the skin.

"My name is Blaine, by the way", he said amiably and stopped to look up at his guest. "It's really quite a pleasure to meet you". Then Blaine smiled and turned his gaze upon the wounds as he continued.

The merman said nothing, and instead watched him silently and intently as he worked, and although it was against his reason and duty, he allowed himself to smile and feel comfortable around his benevolent savior.

* * *

Author's notes:

Things you must be wondering about:

- Why isn't Blaine more uncomfortable with the merman's (Kurt's) unclothed body?

Because he is an adult, not a teenager, and it seems to me like a more adult reaction -particularly during a tense situation where lives are put on the line- would be his serenity at the sight of a naked man (merman) badly wounded and in danger. He might be attracted to him, but sexual drive would be the least of his worries at such a moment.

- Why isn't Kurt speaking? / What does Blaine do for a living? / Why isn't Quinn with him? / Why is Kurt injured?

That shall be answered later on. )

Any other questions: hit the reviews section. :)

C.B.


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